2. Telamon. Thetis, the mother of Achilles, had promised a suit of armor to the bravest of the Greeks who were besieging Troy. In the contest for it, Ajax, son of Telamon, was defeated by Ulysses, and slew himself in a fit of madness; caused by his disappointment.

2. Thessaly. A reference to the story of Meleager, a Greek hero who slew a savage boar, sent by Artemis to ravage the kingdom of Calydon.

3. Emboss’d. Foaming at the mouth.

6. Rive. The severing (rive) of soul and body is not more dreadful than the departure of greatness from the proud man.